Two cookbook writers shine a spotlight on diverse vegetarian fare

Since 2006 nutrition expert and wellbeing advocate Dr Nandita Iyerrsquos blog Saffron Trail has been an important resource for vegetarian cooking But if therersquos one grouse she has against Indians who love their vegetables it is their ldquolack of understanding of seasonal eatingrdquo Most of us living in cities have no idea whatrsquos in season anymorerdquo Bengalurubased Iyer tells us over a phone call ldquohellipthatrsquos because everything is now available yearround And if we order online the algorithm just shows us the top 10 foods that we always orderrdquo Itrsquos only at the open farmerrsquos market she says that you realise that seasonal foods are available plentifullymdashldquothey are all piled up together and cost cheaperrdquoHer new cookbook The Great Indian Thali Seasonal Vegetarian Wholesomeness Roli Books is her attempt at documenting the wide variety of vegetarian produce available at our disposal and the science behind cooking them according to changing seasonsKohra no patiyo red pumkin stewVegetarianism in India she shares is around 2500 years old becoming popular after the advent of Jainism and Buddhism in the sixth century BCE ldquoThese faiths which sought to compete with the prevailing Vedic faith introduced ahimsa nonviolence to mainstream Vedic belief which otherwise was rather meatheavyhelliprdquo she writes A typical vegetarian diet today she says comprises grains and flours lentils and beans vegetables and fruits dairy spices oils and nuts and seedsWhile her recipe book is designed around the four seasons typical to Indiamdashspring summer monsoon and winter she also encourages the pursuit of creating a wholesome vegetarian thali A typical thali is centred on a starch component rice wheat or millets with side dishes such as vegetablebased curries dal legumes green leafy vegetables buttermilk or yoghurtbased dishes Apart from condiments and preserves chutney pickles etc therersquos also a sweet dish without which no thali is otherwise complete Dipping into this collection all the dishes that have been tried and tested over the last many years she hopes ldquoyou can pick choose and curate your own version of the thali that absorbs the best of different regionsrdquoNandita Iyer doctor nutrition expert and wellbeing advocateldquoSimplicity was the backbone of this bookrdquo she says explaining the process of researching it ldquoI didnrsquot want to include dishes with ingredients that were complicated or difficult to procure They also had to be readily available especially during season The challenge is that India is home to many micro climatesmdashsomething that is in season in Bengaluru might not be in Delhi I was fully aware of this when putting the recipes togetherrdquoSimple dishes such as khamang kakdi a Maharashtrian cucumber salad and which Iyer says ldquodeserves a place among the most iconic salads of the world for its gentle touch of fresh coconut bold flavours of coriander and the crunch from peanutsrdquo sit alongside the more timeconsuming gavar dhokli cluster beans with sorghum pasta which nearly takes an hour to prepare The book also has the usual suspects Khichdi sarson ka saag and idlidosa and sambar ldquoBut you canrsquot talk about Indian vegetarian food without discussing the basics and the favouritesrdquo she says adding that she also tried to be as close to the most common recipes ldquoOr close to the real thingrdquo she says adding that ldquoour obsession with authenticity needs to end because it leaves little scope for any recipe to grow or surviverdquoCanadabased award winning cookbook author Niloufer Mavalvala had a completely different motivation to bring out her recently published compendium of Parsi recipes The Vegetarian Parsi Inspired by Tradition Spenta Multimedia Pvt Ltd Mavalvala who hails from Karachi with a large part of family having moved to Mumbai prepartition says when you talk about Parsi food the first names that come to your mind are patra ni machi sali boti or mutton dhansak ldquoI do not recall bheeda vengna karela dodhi ever being mentionedrdquo she shares ldquoBut we Parsis have vegetables in all our foodshellip knowingly or unknowingly None of our meats for instance are prepared in isolation The base of most of our dishes are coriander chillies ginger onions and tomatoesrdquo she tells us over a call There are standalone popular vegetable dishes as well The Parsi vegetable stew for instance also referred to as lagan nu istu wedding stew and which is traditionally prepared with fresh root vegetables green beans eggplant peas and okra is a staple at weddings and navjotes ldquoItrsquos just that at feasts and parties we have a lot more nonvegetarian disheshellip but we do not celebrate every dayrdquo she saysNiloufer Mavalvala authorShe admits that many scoff at the idea of a ldquoParsi vegetarianrdquo But thatrsquos a myth she says ldquoTraditionally we as a community would observe a month Bahman falling midJune to midJuly where we were required to avoid eating meat of any kindhellip the annual cleansing was to maintain balance and respect nature So how can we say our cuisine is all about meat and fishrdquo Her book however she says is for those who enjoy their vegetables alongside everything ldquoEvery Parsi cookbook will have a few vegetarian recipes in it but we my publisher Maneck Davar and the author felt the need to give these recipes its own rightful place We didnrsquot want to hide it anymorerdquo she says adding ldquoPeople are also now making healthier lifestyle choices slowly gravitating towards vegetarianism and veganism They need to be aware of what is available in Parsi cuisinerdquo The cookbook is divided into five sectionsmdashParsi choi ni saathay celebrating teatime with a range of cakes pastries and biscuits think daar ni pori sweetened lentils in pastry and limbu nu cake takarai ni tokri vegetable basket with dahi na vengna spiced eggplant with yoghurt and asparagus mousse and takarai ni curry chawal daar nay kathore grains lentils and pulses and mohnu samarvanu desserts to sweeten the palate The most interesting section is eeda saathay vegetable dishes with eggs that brings us to the unresolved questionmdashcan eggs be considered vegetarian ldquoSomeone on social media asked me why I was calling this a vegetarian book when a significant number of recipes incorporate eggs But this is how we eat our vegetablesrdquo she says explaining ldquoParsis love their eggs in almost every dish It could be because of their Persian heritage or to just cover up the vegetablemdasheither way for many who grew up in a typical Parsi household an egg meal was always there as a side dish for lunch So it would be a tomato per eedu eggs on tomatoes one day or turia per eedu eggs on ridge gourd Thatrsquos how the week went by and the cycle continued I couldnrsquot ignore it when putting this book togetherrdquoThe closest that Parsi vegetarian cuisine is to any community is that of the Gujaratis she says ldquoBut itrsquos still unique You wonrsquot see oil floating on vegetable dishes Itrsquos about keeping oil to a minimum The spices donrsquot stand out Let the vegetable be the star of the show All this must be maintained while striking a balance between tikkhukhattumitthu spicy sour and sweetrdquoDhun Dar nay Sekhta ni Singh no PatiyoServes 6IngredientsFor the daar lentils227 gm tuar daar split pigeon peas227 gm masoor daar red split lentils34 tsp turmeric1 tsp salt113 gm salted butterFor the patiyo3 tbsp oil2 large onions finely chopped200 gm coconut ground to a paste2 tsp ginger paste2 tsp garlic paste2 finely ground green chillies2 whole green chillies12 tsp turmeric powder1 tsp red chilli powder1 12 tsp cumin powder1 12 tsp salt180 ml 6 oz tomatoes pureed2 unripe green mangoes peeled and chopped34 cup fresh coriander finely chopped24 scraped moringa drumsticks cut into 10 cm4inch pieces3 cups water1 tbsp jaggery2 large tomatoes cut into chunks2 cups basmati rice boiled in salted waterFor the tarko1 tbsp ghee1 tsp whole cumin1 tbsp fried onionMethodDaar In a stock pot combine the tuar and masoor daars turmeric salt and 4 cups of water Bring to a boil and cook the daar over medium heat for 40 minutes adding additional water as neededAdd the butter and mash or process the lentils until thickened but still liquid Set aside and keep warmTarko Heat the ghee add the garlic cumin and onions Sizzle for a few seconds and immediately pour over the hot daarlentilsPatiyo Heat the oil and fry the onions till golden brown Add the ground coconut stirring constantly until the coconut turns very light pink Immediately add ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute Add all the chillies turmeric chilli and cumin powders and salt Cook for a minute and add the pureed tomatoes mangoes and fresh coriander Add water stir and bring to a boil Place the bundles of moringa sticks Cover and cook for about 45 minutes on a medium flame Add the scraped jaggery stir gently to dissolve it Check that the moringa is cooked through Finally place the chunks of tomato skin side up cover and steam for another 10 minutes The patiyo should have a slightly thick in consistency and perfectly balanced between tikkhukhattumitthu Serve as a trio of plain boiled rice topped with the daar and the patiyoPICS AND TEXT COURTESYThe VEGETARIAN PARSI SPENTA MULTIMEDIAMotorshutir KochuriServes 10Ingredients for the dough1 cup 150 gm allpurpose flour12 tsp salt1 tsp sugar4 tsp cooking oilFor the filling1 cup shelled peas fresh3 green chillies2 tsp finely grated ginger12 tsp ground cumin12 tsp salt1 tsp sugar2 tsp oil12 tsp nigella seeds kalonji18 tsp asafoetida 2 cups oil for deepfryingMethodCombine the ingredients for the dough in a bowl Make sure the oil is well combined into the dough Add warm water a little at a time to make a smooth dough Cover the bowl and allow it to rest for 1530 minutes Meanwhile prepare the filling In a saucepan with 2 cups of water boil the peas for 34 minutes until they soften Drain well Combine with chillies ginger cumin powder salt and sugar and grind to a fine paste without using any extra water Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan Fry the nigella seeds and asafoetida for a few seconds Scrape the prepared paste into the oil Stir it over lowmedium heat to dry out the moisture This is to ensure that filling is not soggy Keep stirring until the mixture comes together into a ball Remove into a dish and let it cool Divide the dough and the filling into 10 portions each Flatten out the dough and make it into a cup in your palm Add in the filling and cover well and roll into a ball Using an oiled rolling pin and base roll out into thick puris 5rdquo diameter size Heat oil in a wok and deepfry each such kochuri separately over high heat until it puffs up Flip it over with a slotted spoon and fry the other side for 2030 seconds as well Drain on a kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil Serve with aloor dom baby potatoes in Bengali style curryPICS AND TEXT COURTESYThe Great Indian Thali Seasonal Vegetarian Wholesomeness Roli Books